Double credit makes show choirs’ petition unreasonable
February 24, 2023
Although it has been a topic of discussion for some time, show choir students have recently made a push to grant a PE credit to show choir. A petition was made supporting the cause and students have been sharing it on social media to rally support.
The reasons that the show choirs believe they deserve a PE credit make sense. First off, they hold after school practice twice a week, so they could receive an extra credit for the extra work they put in. Also, show choir involves a level of physicality that would allow it to qualify for a PE credit. The activity involves dancing and singing for prolonged periods of time, which demands considerable physical exertion.
However, show choir students should not receive a PE credit for their participation. The main reason is that they already receive a fine arts credit. There is no class or activity that offers more than one type of credit, and show choir should not be an exception. Marching band is a performing art that receives a PE credit, but they do not receive a fine arts credit to complement it. Petitioners frequently point to the marching band PE credit to justify their case, but this is an unfair comparison, as marching band is exclusively extracurricular and does not meet during school hours as a class. If the show choirs want a PE credit, perhaps the class (and fine arts credit) could be eliminated.
If show choir was granted a PE credit, then a student could participate in show choir to take care of two credits for the “cost” of one. This would allow students to not branch out as much as they could and stay in their comfort zone. Many students pick up a sport that they are inexperienced in in order to get their required PE credit. A student could find that they enjoy the sport or find that sports are not their thing. Either way, it is valuable to try something, like a sport, to branch out and get the most out of high school.